Pardes Faculty Traveling

May, 2010

This is the time of the year when students, teachers
and
administrators are all on the same page, happily anticipating summer
vacation. It
is also a time for all these groups to reflect upon the past year. As
teachers, we need to think through which of our practices we want to
'keep, alter, or
discard' for the coming year. We hope you will take the opportunity to
do so
with yourself and your students, as suggested in The Education Corner.

In
reflecting on the Alumni Support Project,
we have also learned a good deal that we hope
will guide our practice for the coming year. We are delighted that
Amanda
Pogany (Cohort 2) will be joining our team as of August 1st, with her
strong background
both in teaching and mentoring. Amanda will bring knowledge of what is
most
needed, both by novice teachers and those with several years of teaching
experience.

Please read through the entire newsletter as there
are
important and timely announcements. We will be available throughout most
of the
summer. Let us know if we can help you in preparing new materials,
connecting
you with other alumni, or making changes you want to implement for
the coming year.

Best wishes for a relaxing and rejuvenating
vacation.Susan, Abby, Debra

The Pardes Educators
Alumni Support Project is funded by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph
Foundation.

Dvar Torah
- Judith Sone (Cohort 1)

Upon completing the Pardes Educators Program, Judith
taught at the Toronto Heschel School for one year. She spent a few
years in Israel working with the Ramah High School Programs. Judith
returned to Toronto in 2007 and is now in her 3rd year of teaching at
the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT).

When I read the book of Ruth this year, I was struck by the
representation of Ruth. Ruth, who is clearly at the center of this megillah,
is at the same time far removed from the center of her society and
exists on the periphery. She is an outsider, a foreigner, and a woman,
yet she is nonetheless treated with the utmost respect by Naomi and
Boaz. She is acutely aware of her fragile status and is shocked when
Boaz treats her with extreme kindness. She says, "Why are you so kind
as to single me out, when I am a foreigner?" (2:10). Despite being
different, other, and likely marginalized in her society, Ruth is
treated kindly and is given an opportunity to move closer to the
center. She is praised for her loyalty and blessed by Boaz: "I have
been told of all that you did for your mother-in-law after the death of
your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your
birth and came to a people you had not known before. May the LORD
reward your deeds." (2:11-12) Ruth is not marginalized or rejected by
Boaz, who seems to see beyond her differences to the core of who she
is. Ruth is an outsider who becomes an insider because of the way in
which she is treated.

The book of Ruth is clearly saying
something about how we treat outsiders. It is encouraging us to have an
awareness of those whom we see as 'other' and to think about people who
are different than ourselves or who are on the boundaries of our
communities. As Jewish educators, this reading of the book of Ruth
encourages us to address questions about how we teach our students to
think about, interact with, and encounter people who are different than
they are. Our students live in a diverse, multi-cultural world. As we
think about developing their Jewish identities, we should also make sure
to do this in conversation with the outside world. We need to keep in
mind that the world of the classroom does not reflect the outside world
and the world many of them will encounter in university. We need to
talk to them about other views, other religions, and how to treat and
encounter those who are 'other', even though these encounters may
sometimes be difficult or feel threatening. Megillat Ruth
reminds us that we should carry an awareness of what it is like to be
outsiders in our interactions. These were my reflections upon reading
the megilla and hopefully we can carry these thoughts with us
into the coming year.

PEP Alumni Fall Retreat October 28-October 31 2010/5771

A "Save the Date" letter for the fall retreat will
arrive in your mailbox shortly. Please check your school's
proposed calendar for 2010/11 NOW. If there is a conflict with the date
of the retreat, please see if there
is any way your school can be flexible.

We have contacted those
schools that have more than one PEP
alum teaching, with the hopes that they can avoid scheduling special
programming for that weekend.

We are looking forward to spending the extended weekend with
graduates and staff of the DeLeT program, sharing our respective
expertise and knowledge. The weekend promises to be very inspiring and
thought
provoking.

We look forward to seeing those of you working in
Jewish education
in North America - or those who are on temporary leave from day schools -
in
Baltimore, October 28-31.

More details will follow.

Remembering a
Special Teacher by Baruch Feldstern

I
was asked to apprise you of a recent loss to the world of
Jewish education and Bible scholarship.
Professor Moshe Greenberg, with whom I was privileged to study at JTS
and the Hebrew University, died on 2 Sivan
after a long and debilitating
illness.Professor
Greenberg
was quite simply the best teacher I ever had. He was a consummate
scholar, exacting in his
attention to detail and profoundly devoted to seeking the truth. While
many other scholars are adept at dissecting
the biblical text (determining derivations of words, coordinating texts
with
archeology and realia of the times, bringing contemporary cultures and
religions to bear, etc.), surprisingly few put it all back together in a
way
that clarifies and brings to life the message of Torah. Whereas
Greenberg mastered the range of
disciplines needed to understand the Bible, he was always aware that
these were
merely instruments in the service of religious meaning. That same
concern accounted for his continued
attention, alongside his scholarship at the most advanced level, to
classroom
pedagogy even in elementary school settings, in Israel and the Diaspora.I
will bring just two examples of why I came to revere Greenberg as my
teacher. One year I participated in a
class with him that happened to contain a number of high-powered
students who
went on to get doctorates and eventually university positions in Bible.
Occasionally, someone would pose a complex
question that was tangential to the topic, and certainly not
anticipated. Greenberg would assume a look of intense
concentration, pause over the lectern for a long moment, and then
deliver a
twenty minute exposition of the issue, with absolute clarity and perfect
organization, as if he had been working on nothing else for weeks.In
recent years, I would occasionally call Moshe and ask if I could come to
his
home to seek his help with questions that had accumulated during my
teaching. He never let me feel that this
was an imposition, an intrusion on research time that was increasingly
precious
owing to his illness. Though my
questions retraced familiar territory for him, I always felt that he was
wiping
the slate clean, reconsidering the issue as if for the first time,
because knowledge
grows and perspectives mature, and the search for truth demands
freshness,
rigor and humility. During these
meetings at his home, he would invariably ask me to retrieve books off
the
shelves in order to delve deeply into intricacies that often elevated my
questions to a higher level than as posed. As had been the case years
before in his classroom, I left every such
session feeling lifted off the ground, raised into a higher spiritual
sphere.Though
I knew that his condition was deteriorating, when I heard of his death I
felt
orphaned. I recalled the account of R.
Yehoshua, who at the death of R. Eliezer lamented that he was left with
many
questions, but no one to help him find the answers (Sanhedrin 68a). May the memory of
Professor Moshe Greenberg
be a blessing and an inspiration.

Focus on Yonatan Rosner (Cohort 7)

My love for Jewish text began as I returned from a trip to
Southeast Asia. After a long time of soul- searching and personal
interest in the human mind and consciousness, I decided to study
Cognitive Science and Jewish Philosophy. The more I learned the more I
came to realize how little I know, and with it grew my hunger for even
more knowledge. I was lucky to be introduced to the vast world of Talmud by Rabbi Yitzak Shahor who
was running the Afikim Program
at the Hebrew University campus then. Soon after, I found myself at the
Pardes Institute continuing my soul searching for two more years. At the
same time I pursued my teaching credentials and Masters in Jewish
Education at Hebrew University, realizing that the best and most
enjoyable way for me to learn was through teaching.

I feel that
my goals as a teacher are derived directly from my past experiences. I
strive to meet the minds of my students half way in the search for
meaning-making and understanding; to assist them to develop their
cognitive skills through the learning of our traditions; and to help
them find personal relevancy even in the most theoretical and arbitrary
rabbinic debate.

Currently I am employed at the New Community
Jewish High School, West Hills, California. Besides teaching in the
Jewish Studies Department, I write curricula for our three student
exchange programs. In addition, I coordinate the T'fillah Kehillah Institute (TKI)
which is a student-led leadership program for students who are motivated
to plan and execute all the T'fillah
components at my school.

This year was a very successful one
for my TKI student leaders. They led a variety of creative T'fillot: for our whole student body
(over 400 students), on grade level trips (including in Israel), and for
other small groups. All of these T'fillot
included music, art and iyun T'fillah
components, new and traditional melodies, and even novel prayers they
wrote themselves. Next year the TKI project will be integrated into our
10th and 11th grade curricula. Students from these two grades will be
studying, planning, practicing, and executing different models of
creative T'fillah, on their way
to become strong leaders in the community.

In my personal life,
I am a husband to my lovely wife Jessica, and a father to Avriella (2½)
and Ness (1). No dog, no cat, no fish, and no third child - yet.

Education Corner by Dr. Susan Wall

"Closures" for the Teaching
Year

In teaching, I try to differentiate between hooks and
activators. Activators, in my mind, go
one step beyond an attempt to engage students' interest in the learning.
Activators attempt to activate a
portion of the brain so as to build upon what
is already known, preparing for and enhancing the learning that will
follow.

As we
reach the end of the teaching year, I would suggest we give careful
thought to
those activities or lessons that will allow for the reverse; giving
students
opportunities to recall, summarize and reflect upon what they have
learned. You
may have a good understanding of all your students have accomplished,
but do they?In
addition, we know from the research that 'time on
learning' matters. It is one of those measures that most closely
correlates
with student achievement. You want to make sure not to waste valuable
time as
the weather turns warmer and both students and teachers are getting
"antsy".

Last May we shared with you a number of ideas
that could be used to bring closure to the learning. We refer you to our
website. There are
ideas for a range of grade levels and we urge you to revisit this
storehouse of ideas.
Please send any other suggestions you have used successfully, so that we
can add
those to our list

What Are You Up To
and Where Will You Be?

It is that time of the year
when we need your help in
updating our files. Your information is important to us for
several reasons:

To remain in touch.

To
plan our geographic visits for
the coming year.

Our funders are interested
in knowing what is happening with
our graduates.

Click here to fill in
the information requested. It will take you five minutes to complete.

PEP
News

The graduation
ceremony for Cohort 9 will be held on Tuesday, June 8,
2010. The invitation with a list of
Cohort 9 graduates can be found on the PEP Alumni website.We hope that
any alumni in Israel will join us for the celebration.

For
many years, we have been privileged to work with Zvi Hirschfield as
Director of the Beit Midrash for the Educators Program. Zvi has been a
fantastic teacher, advisor, visionary and sounding board for faculty and
students. Zvi will be stepping down from his role as Director of the
Beit Midrash for PEP, but will continue teaching. We are pleased to
announce that Michael Hattin will assume the position as PEP Director of
the Beit Midrash for 2010-11.

Please note: we are still seeking
qualified candidates for the incoming cohort as well as Mechina candidates. Please take a few
moments to consider a friend or colleague
that you can recommend for the Educators Program. Please send the name
to Gail
or Judy
and we will be sure to follow up quickly and
personally. Thank you!

Educational
Publications, Resources and Opportunities

Marc
Baker (Cohort 1) wrote
an article entitled, A Welcome Challenge: Why
Hebrew Charter Schoolscould be good for Jewish Day
Schools. The Article appears in the Winter, 2010 edition of theJewish Educational Leadership Journal. You can also find an article byLevi Cooper on education regulations
during the Second Temple period and onward.

The
Moreh L'Morim Conference, sponsored by the Siegal College of Judaic
Studies, will take place from August 8-August 11, 2010 in Beachwood,
Ohio. The topic for this year's conference is, EiluV'Eilu:
The Tradition of Sacred Argument in Jewish Education. Click here for more information.

YCT Rabbinical School in cooperation with the Lookstein Center for
Jewish Education, the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, David
Cardozo Academy, Beit Morasha of Jerusalem, and the Center for Modern
Torah Leadership invite the entire community to the eighth annual Yemei Iyun on Bible and Jewish
Thought to be held on Sunday-Monday, June 27-28, 2010 in the Greater New
York area. Click here for more information.

Sarah
Hendel (Cohort 7) recommends this link for the Kehati Mishna in English.

Many of you have been
enjoying the Spertus College E-Library and the Lookstein Center
e-Community. The Feinberg
E-Collectioncontains
the full-text of nearly 16,000 books and 25,000 articles in the area of
Jewish studies. Please be in touch
with Debra for the
user-name and password for both of these resources.

Thanks to everyone for
sending us updated contact information. Please keep us posted about
changes of address (home, email), changing jobs, etc. We are sorry if we
missed something. Please help us by sending in your news!